42 He shall stretch forth his hand also on the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries - Margin, send forth. Significant of war and conquest. The idea is, that he would be an invader of foreign lands - a characteristic which it is not necessary to show pertained to Antiochus.
And the land of Egypt shall not escape - Moab and Edom, and the land of Ammon would escape, but Egypt would not. We have seen in the exposition of this chapter (see the notes at Daniel 11:25-28) that he, in fact, subdued Memphis and the best portions of Egypt, and even obtained possession of the person of the king.
He shall stretch forth his hand - He - the Ottoman emperors, have stretched forth the hand, not only on European, but also upon Asiatic and African countries. Egypt - has not escaped; it is a province of the Turkish government, as are also Fez, Morocco, Algiers, and many other African countries. And as the prophecy says they "got power over the silver and gold, and the precious things of Egypt," so it was; for when Selim conquered Egypt, a.d. 1517, he took all its spoils; and the immense sums drawn from it to the present day, and the wretchedness of the land in consequence, are almost incredible.
The Libyans and the Ethiopians - The Cushim - unconquered Arabs, all sought their friendship; and many of them are tributary to the present time.
He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries,.... Before mentioned, and take possession of them and rule over them, as the Turk does to this day:
and the land of Egypt shall not escape; the hands of the Turk by whom it was taken from the Mamalucs; and is now a province of the Turkish empire, and governed by a Turkish basha, with twenty four princes under him (a). This was not true of Antiochus, who, after he had been checked by the Romans, never entered into Egypt, and much less became master of it, as the Turk now is.
(a) Ibid. (See Dr. Newton's Dissertations on the Prophecies) p. 394.
Egypt . . . Libyans . . . Ethiopians--The latter two, being the allies of the first, served under Antiochus when he conquered Egypt. Antitypically, Egypt, though it held out long under the Mamelukes, in A.D. 1517 fell under the Turks. Algiers, Tunis, and other parts of Africa, are still under them.
at his steps--following him (Exodus 11:8, Margin; Judges 4:10).
The stretching forth of his hand upon the countries is a sign expressive of his seizing them, taking possession of them, for which he falls upon them. בּארצות are not other countries besides those which, according to Daniel 11:40, he overflowed (Klief.), but the same. Of these lands Egypt is specially noticed in Daniel 11:42 as the most powerful, which had hitherto successfully withstood the assaults of the king of the north, but which in the time of the end shall also be overthrown. Egypt, as the chief power of the south, represents the mightiest kingdoms of the earth. לפּליטה תּהיה לא (and there shall not be for an escape), expressive of complete overthrow, cf. Joel 2:3; Jeremiah 50:29.
*More commentary available at chapter level.